Decoding Ramadan 2026: Data-Driven Strategies for the Middle East, Türkiye, and Africa

Month-over-month data tells you there's opportunity. Week-over-week data tells you exactly when to capture it.

The analysis reveals three distinct phases:

Pre-Ramadan build-up (2-3 weeks before):

• Search volume demonstrates consistent upward trajectory across most categories
• Early mover advantage is quantifiable: brands that establish presence here build remarketing pools for the conversion surge
• Turkey's apparel searches peaked 2 weeks before Ramadan - early signals that marketers can leverage

Mid-Ramadan activity (Weeks 1-3):

• Sustained engagement across categories—the "zero-drop" phenomenon
• Travel & Tourism searches remained stable or increased in UAE and Qatar, contradicting assumptions about reduced activity
• Finance searches in Turkey peaked mid-Ramadan, indicating specific timing windows for financial products

Post-Ramadan recovery:

• Coordinated rebound across markets signals renewed intent
• Sharp recovery in Finance, Food & Groceries, and Home & Garden demonstrates extended opportunity beyond the holy month

As InMobi Advertising’s Jacob Joseph, Director – Sales for Microsoft Advertising in MEA, notes:

Ramadan success does not come from dominating media alone. It requires being intelligent, relevant, and agile.

As Mike Luscombe, Director – Partner Sales, EMEA & LATAM, Microsoft Advertising, shares:

The report provides specific tactical frameworks:

Coverage architecture:

• Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) for capturing long-tail, emergent queries
• Broad Match expansion to maximize reach during high-intent windows
• Multimedia Ads (MMA) to complement SERP dominance with visual presence

Automation strategy:

• Performance Max campaigns for omnichannel optimization
• Auto-bidding with seasonality adjustments to respond to rapid demand shifts
• Feed-based Shopping campaigns for high-impact, low-effort scaling

Audience precision:

• Dynamic Remarketing to re-engage high-intent users
• Full-funnel audience strategies across feed-based, static, and video formats
• Market-specific timing based on WoW click and search patterns

As Kay Giza, Partner Marketing Lead, EMEA & LATAM, Microsoft Advertising, puts it:

The data reveals clear execution principles:

1. Allocate budgets based on WoW lift patterns, not assumptions - Qatar's B&PC searches spiked 146% while Saudi Arabia grew only 11%
2. Deploy automation to capture micro-windows of intent -Turkey's Food & Groceries clicks jumped 472%, requiring real-time bid adjustments
3. Implement full-funnel coverage - sustained mid-Ramadan activity across categories demands continuous presence, not just early-month focus
4. Leverage visual formats strategically -Multimedia Ads complement search during high-volume periods when SERP competition intensifies

For a deep-dive into your category and more marketing ideas, download Ramadan in the digital world: The marketer’s manual. Show up meaningfully, when and where it matters most.

About the Data: Analysis based on Microsoft Internal Data 2025, covering search and click behaviour across Egypt, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and UAE during Ramadan 2025 (March 1-30, 2025).